Survive
by Kitkat10595
Summary: Magic is gone. They live life on the run, fighting to stay alive. The world they knew is gone and only the strong survive.
1. Chapter 1

I gulped in as much air as I could, sprawled on the floor and leaning against the wall of a dilapidated farmhouse. I pulled my shirt up, wincing at the wound stretching from just below my breast to my hip. It hurt like a bitch, worse now that I'd looked at it. Thankfully it wasn't too deep and the bleeding had mostly stopped. I didn't have anything to clean or wrap it with. It'd probably get infected like the one on my knee a month ago.

I let my shirt fall back down and tilted my head up. One year. One year since the British government put into action their plan to protect themselves from Voldemort and by extension magic. One year since they gathered all the people deemed most important into a specified area of London. One year since they released some sort of massive energy blast across the whole country.

None of us know what it was, how it worked or exactly why they did it, only that they did. It decimated the whole nation. Anything built by magic crumbled. Hogwarts was gone, now just the pile of ruins most people thought it to be anyway. The Burrow was gone, the place only stood with copious amount of magic. Everything our world had strived to keep hidden was made visible, most of it destroyed. But the most significant impact the weapon had, was the complete and utter destruction of magic itself.

Magic just vanished. We couldn't use it anymore than the muggles could. So many of us died, unable to live without the magic flowing through their veins. Muggle borns and half bloods had a better time of it. They didn't have such a high percentage in their blood, even though such things made no difference to their ability. But the majority of the purebloods were killed. My family was lucky. I was lucky. We were only dreadfully ill.

Life had changed. We had to relearn how to live without magic and it wasn't that simple. A huge number of the muggle population had been wiped out by the blast. Those who were left were like us, living on the run, surviving off the land. Those who had been important enough were protected inside some sort of electro magnetic shield in the centre of London. For them, life went on as usual. The best parts of the capital were walled off, still protected by the shield. Few roads were maintained, and nearly no one ventured north.

We were told that everyone living in the city had to carry ID with them at all times. For them, it was nothing, but it gave the government reassurance that anyone who managed to slip in from outside would be caught sooner or later. Caught and killed. Wizards and witches were hunted down with a vengeance, despite us being unable to use magic now. Even those who weren't magical were eliminated; after all, if they didn't have an ID, they weren't valuable enough to have been protected.

People grouped together in small numbers, usually no more than ten or twenty. It was survival of the fittest. People had no qualms in killing someone who might do the same to them. You lived off the land, hunting and finding plants to eat. There was some food production near London, but any attempt to steal would be suicide.

No one lived in one set place anymore, it just wasn't safe. Everyone moved around, keeping away from the few main roads still maintained, because government forces patrolled them. There were few places comfortable enough left to stay anyway. It was simply amazing how quickly buildings fell into disrepair without their occupants. Some were in good enough condition to be patched up, but it was too risky. Patrols flew overhead at least once every two weeks, fighter jets and helicopters with machine guns on board. Anywhere that looked like it might be being used as a refuge was bombed. Every town and village showed evidence of this. So people retreated to the woods and mountains, where they could build temporary shacks and keep them hidden.

We used older, more primitive weapons. Occasionally you found guns and ammunition at old army bases, things that were left behind by accident. The government shipped nearly everything back to the capital. No point inviting rebellion with deadly weapons. So we went back to medieval methods. Bows were the most common, swords were more difficult to find or make. I pitied anyone who never got the hang of archery. You didn't survive long without it.

But I didn't have my bow. I hadn't for nearly three months now. The only weapon I had was a knife. I'd been on the run that whole time. It had started as a disastrous attempt to scrounge supplies from a storehouse we'd found. It had been Bill, Charlie, the twins and me. We gotten in fine, and were about to make off with the stuff when out of nowhere, soldiers were surrounding us. We managed to get out, but were separated in the process.

Ten of them pursued me. I outstripped them. Living in the rough gave you a level of physical fitness that no soldier, no matter how much they trained, could ever hope to obtain. And it gave one grim determination, and an intimate knowledge of nature. I kept going though, even when they stopped following me. I knew I had to get away as far as possible. But by the time I stopped, I was a long way from where I'd started. It was too dangerous to go back and look for my family. I had to keep moving before they brought in the choppers and the searchlights.

I still don't know what happened to them, whether they get away or were captured. I just have to keep moving, keep surviving. I eluded capture, eventually throwing off pursuit, but had numerous run-ins with other groups, none of them former magic users. I'd been put to the test a few times; my latest wound a testament to that. It had been just this morning and I had a feeling the culprits were still after me. I couldn't stay here for much longer, but I hadn't been able to keep going either.

The only good thing that came out of it all was that it did achieve their plan to eliminate Voldemort. He wasn't killed outright, but once he couldn't use magic, he was a sitting duck. They swooped in and annihilated him and his death eaters. I bet Harry was relieved that burden was taken from him. Harry. An image of emerald eyes and jet-black hair rose before my eyes unbidden. I hadn't seen him since Bill and Fleur's wedding nearly two years ago. When he, Ron and Hermione had fled. I had no idea if he was still alive. I tried not to think about him, it hurt too much. I still loved him; I knew that as sure as I knew my own name. But the chances of me ever being able to be with him again were next to none.

I drew in a deep breath, flinching when it sent a stab of pain through my side. Reluctantly, I got to my feet. I flicked my bangs out of my face. I'd cut my hair some time ago, the long strands apt to get in the way. Now it only dropped just past my chin, unlike the nearly waist length style I'd sported previously.

Moving to the doorway, I glanced around, taking stock of my bearings. North, I'd head north. The further from London the better. The majority of muggle bandits didn't venture far into what used to be Scotland either. But us magic folk did. I guess its because most of us went to Hogwarts, so even with it gone, we felt something of a connection and familiarity to the rugged landscapes.

Suddenly, a few scuffles in the trees near the door had me diving back inside. I cursed to myself. I'd lingered too long and now I would pay the price. There was no way they hadn't seen me. I'd been standing in plain view in that doorway for far too long. I'd been careless. I cursed again, looking around for the best vantage point for me, but I was out of time. They burst in through the door and a hole in one wall, six of them, all large, all rough looking and not one of them inclined to be friendly.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," one of them sneered, raking his eyes up and down my body. I suppressed a shudder, instead tilting my chin up disdainfully, slipping my knife from my belt. I could take out at least a couple of them. If I was going down, I was going down fighting. Never let it be said that Ginny Weasley was a coward.

They circled, each with a horrible grin on his face. Finally, one darted in, knife outstretched. I parried his aside, pivoting forward to smash my fist into his nose, following it up with a kick between his legs for good measure. I spun, sensing someone behind me and rammed my knife up, catching them in the throat, their last sound a gurgle of surprise.

I kicked sideways, bringing another sprawling to the floor but before I could finish him off two more grabbed me. I struggled, but they were too strong. I kicked and clawed at them, even trying to bite. The one who had spoken smirked at me. It was clear what he intended to do, and I vowed I would rather die than let him. Just as he was preparing himself, he was shoved backwards, falling to the floor, his mouth a round 'o' of surprise. A black-feathered arrow stuck out of his chest.

Even as my brain registered the information, the two holding me gave grunts and fell, more arrows in their bodies. I whirled around, ready to face this new threat. It was possible they'd come to save me, but it was equally likely they just wanted some fun themselves.

Another man was entering the building, carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. To begin with, I didn't recognise him, changed as he was from the hardships of the war and the subsequent living conditions. But that messy, black hair and emerald green eyes were unmistakeable.

"_Harry," _I breathed. Already halfway over to me, his eyes widened in shock and he stared at me.

"Who…" he began then his mouth fell open in shock. "_Ginny?" _

I nodded, still unable to believe it. He always did have a habit of coming in and saving people, me included, but this was just insane.

Appearing to recover his composure, he stepped over to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," I replied. We stared at each other for a few moments, both of us equally unsure as to what we should do. What _did _you do when out of the blue you ran into someone you hadn't seen in months, someone you thought might be dead? Then suddenly he was crushing my body to his, arms wrapped tightly around me and his face buried in my hair.

"Thank god you're alive," his voice sounded suspiciously wobbly. For my part, I was fighting back tears. It was such a shock, seeing him here like this after so long. I had at times doubted whether I still loved him, but being in his arms made all those thoughts go flying out the window. There was no doubt about it now. I hugged him back, clutching him just as tightly as he clutched me.

After several long glorious moments, he stepped back, although his hands remained on my waist.

"Is there anyone else with you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I've been on my own for months. These," I gestured to the men lying prone on the ground. "Aren't the first ones I've had trouble with. Thank you by the way, they caught me by surprise."

Harry shrugged. "It was nothing," he said. "Looks like you got a few of them good as well."

I turned to look at the damage. The three Harry had shot were dead, as was the one I'd stabbed through the throat. Once upon a time this might have bothered me, but now it was just a way of life. I'd become harder; things that were once considered a horror were now a daily occurrence. The other two I'd simply managed to knock out, but by the looks of things they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

"We should get out of here," Harry said softly. I nodded; bending to retrieve my knife and tucking it back into my belt. As an after thought, I grabbed another knife and a sword my assailants had. You could always use more weapons in this life. Harry took my hand, my fingers lacing between his of their own accord. He led me out of the building, eyes darting around as did mine, scanning for trouble. We moved swiftly, reaching the cover of the nearby trees.

"I've uh, got a small camp set up, not far from here," Harry said. "Did…d'you want to…" he trailed off.

"That would be lovely, thank you," I told him, realising what he was trying to say. He offered me a small smile and we both fell silent. It wasn't really awkward, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. I guess neither of us knew what to say, or how to act. It had been so long and I couldn't help wondering if he still felt the same way about me. He had told me when he left, that when everything was over he'd come back for me and I'd promised him I'd wait. But so much had happened, none of it expected. And it wasn't over. Not really.

Sure, the Wizarding War was over, but now it was a war against nearly everyone. The world had changed. From what we managed to find out, the situation in this country wasn't confined to our borders, rather, it was global. America, France, Spain, Germany, Australia, China, Russia, the list went on. There was no refuge now. It was somewhat ironic really. For years, the muggles had believed in the end of the world, an apocalypse. Well, that day they launched the weapon against us was an apocalypse if I ever saw one. Which technically I hadn't…but it was certainly the end of the world, as we knew it anyway.

Harry cleared his throat softly and brought me back to the present. My hand was still clasped in his. It felt nice, it felt right, just as it had so long ago.

"How-how long have you been on your own for?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Months. It's been hard to keep track of the time. You?"

He was silent for a moment. "Nearly 9 months," he said quietly. I stared at him.

"You haven't found anyone?"

He shook his head.

"Hermione?" I asked. "Ron?"

"I don't know. We were spotted by an army patrol. Somehow, they knew exactly who we were. We had to make a break for it. Hermione and Ron, they forced me to go, they led them away from me. I tried to stop them, but they insisted…"

He wouldn't look at me. I knew what it was. He hated the fact that they'd deliberately put themselves in danger for him. He never wanted anyone to get hurt for him. And his best friends had done just that and he didn't know if they'd survived.

I heard Harry suck in a deep breath and exhale again. He was trying to keep himself calm. That's how he did it, by breathing. "Everyone else?" he asked softly. "Your family?"

"They were alive last I saw them," I said. "But now…"

Harry nodded. He knew. He understood. But at least now we had each other, whatever that meant, whatever our relationship might be now.

"Here we are," he told me, pulling me through some thick undergrowth into a tiny clearing. A tent was set up at one end and there was a blackened circle in the centre that had housed a fire. "Its not much, but…"

"Its fine," I told him.

"Erm, you can have the tent tonight, I'll sleep outside."

"No," I said firmly. He stared at me. "Harry, its far too cold to be sleeping outside."

"No, it'll be fine," he protested.

I shook my head. "I'm not letting you get hypothermia. Please Harry. We're both mature adults, we can handle sharing a tent, regardless of our past."

Our eyes locked for a minute, but I knew he'd back down. He sighed and nodded, rubbing a hand across his eyes. I gave him a tiny smile, wondering all the while what his reluctance meant. Half of me said it was because he didn't feel anything for me anymore, the other half said he was just being his usual, noble, git of a self.

He dropped my hand, gesturing for me to sit down. I complied, wincing and hissing in pain as it lanced up my side. I pressed a hand to my wound, dismayed to feel sticky damp through my shirt again. The fight must have caused it to reopen. Harry looked at me in concern.

"Ginny?"

"Knife wound," I told him. "Same bastards from this afternoon."

He motioned for me to life my shirt up. I did, pulling it off completely, leaving me in just my bra. Briefly I felt a bit embarrassed, but that was another thing this life led to. Modesty was far less, as long as the most important bits were covered; everything else was something of a moot point. And the shirt would just be in the way anyway. Harry crouched next to me, gently running a finger along the wound. He stood back up and disappeared into the tent briefly, returning with a handful of things.

Carefully, wetting the cloth with water from a bottle, he cleaned the blood away. I just sat there, letting him, even though I could have easily done it myself. If I admitted it to myself, I was quite enjoying the feeling of his ministrations, his hands on my skin. He rubbed some paste onto the cut, giving me an apologetic look when I winced.

"It's an antiseptic," he explained. "I wish I could do more…"

"You've done plenty," I told him. His hand lingered on my side, fingers stroking the skin a little. We stared at each other, not for the first time that day. He lifted his hand, running a hesitant finger down my cheek. My breath hitched slightly as I lost myself in his eyes. Slowly, Harry leaned a little closer, and then his lips were on mine, just as soft and warm as I remembered.

I closed my eyes, losing myself in the kiss. All too soon, he pulled back. I sighed in disappointment, reluctantly opening my eyes. He looked like he was torn, probably between kissing me again and running away. He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it abruptly. Then he took me by surprise, crushing his lips to mine again. This time he was far more insistent, and I was only too happy to return the favour. He ran his tongue along my lower lip and I opened my mouth, letting him slip inside.

Our tongues began a long lost but well remembered battle, and Harry gently lowered me to the ground. Incoherent as I was, I couldn't help but notice that he was careful not to aggravate my injury. His hand rested on my stomach but it soon began creeping upwards.

I broke the kiss, chest heaving as I gasped for air. Harry trailed kisses along my jaw before turning his attention to my neck. He sucked gently on my pulse point and I moaned softly. His fingers brushed the skin just below my bra. I dragged his mouth to mine, burying my fingers in his hair. This was heaven, kissing him again. My body felt like it was on fire. I moaned again as his hand cupped my breast, stroking it gently through the material. Frustrated that he could touch me and I couldn't touch him, I yanked his shirt off, tossing it somewhere to the side. I ran my hands down his back, feeling the muscles he had developed. My fingers lingered near his waistband and it was his turn to groan into my mouth.

The hand that was on my breast disappeared, only for me to feel him slip it behind my back and fiddle with the clasp on my bra. This had me torn. I wanted to continue, I really did, and you never knew what day might be your last. But something held me back. I pulled my mouth away from his.

"Harry," I gasped. "Stop, stop…" For a moment I thought he hadn't heard me, but then he placed a few soft kisses on my lips and withdrew his hand, pulling back to a sitting position and bringing me with him. We were both breathing heavily and his eyes were slightly glazed. We were silent for a few moments, both of us trying to regather our thoughts.

"Are you still sure sharing the tent is a good idea?" Harry asked, his lips quirking into a smile. I swatted his arm gently, leaning my head on his shoulder, my body melting into his.

"Git," I said. We sat there for a little bit, just taking comfort in each other's presence. For my part, I was deliriously happy, an emotion I hadn't felt since…well, in a very long time. Knowing that he still felt the same way, even if we hadn't actually talked about it, I knew, I could die right now and die a happy woman.

The light dimmed, the only signal from inside the forest that the sun had slipped beneath the horizon. With its departure went the last traces of warmth in the air and I shivered, still without my shirt. Goosebumps rose on my arms and I burrowed further into Harry's side, still surprisingly warm. Harry must have noticed, because he started looking around for our discarded clothes.

"Here," he said handing me my shirt, his in the other hand. I pulled it on, the chill a little less. He looked at me and frowned. "You don't have anything warmer?"

I shook my head. The last coat I'd stolen, I'd had to leave behind at a campsite when I was taken by surprise. Since then, well, yeah I'd been pretty cold at night, and despite me telling Harry earlier that it was too cold to sleep outside, that's essentially what I'd been doing. I'd learned to deal with it.

Harry stood up, grabbing his pack out of the tent and pulling items out until he found what he was looking for. He held the coat out to me. It wasn't overly thick, but it would be better than what I had. I smiled my thanks and pulled it on, sighing as its warmth enveloped me. He returned it, and then went back to the pack. He rummaged around a bit more before extracting a smaller bag. Opening it, he pulled out a few items of food. A couple of apples, half a loaf of bread and something I didn't quite recognise.

"I wish I could offer you more," he said uncertainly, "But I haven't had time to hunt today…"

"It's plenty Harry, thank you," I said, taking one apple and sinking my teeth into it, closing my eyes and savouring the taste. I hadn't had an apple in ages. Actually, I hadn't much of anything other than what I could find on the run in ages. As far as I was concerned, this was something like a small feast.

Stomachs as full as they were going to get, Harry and I retreated to the tent. I was dead tired, and from the looks of things Harry was too. A little awkwardly, we lay down side by side, facing each other. Neither had known what to say to begin with, and our snogfest earlier, lovely as it had been, hadn't exactly helped matters.

Harry was the first to break the silence, clearing his throat. "I uh…oh bloody hell. I love you Ginny. I loved you two years ago, and I still love you. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else, and if circumstances were different, I'd probably propose. I-"

I placed my finger over his lips, having finally gotten over my shock at his declaration. It had the effect I wanted, silencing him immediately. I could barely see him in the dark, but I knew he was staring at me. "I love you too," I whispered.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Shut up and kiss me you prat."

He did exactly what I told him, his hands cupping my face as he kissed me gently. Probing my lips apart with his tongue, not that it took much effort, he explored my mouth. This kiss was completely different to the one before. It had been passionate and uncontrolled; this was soft and loving, but equally as good. We kissed for a while; I don't know how long it was exactly. Eventually we pulled apart and I snuggled into him. Harry draped his arm around my waist, holding me close and he dropped a light kiss onto my hair. Slowly, I slipped out of consciousness, falling into the blissful realm of sleep. For once, everything was perfect, even if it only lasted a few hours.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! All credit for recognisable characters, themes etc. go to JK Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.**

So sorry this update has taken so long. I had it half written and the rest took a little while to get right. I'll warn now, there IS sexual content in this chapter. It isn't what I would consider graphic and is hopefully done tastefully.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I woke up slowly, squeezing my eyes shut in a futile attempt to go back to sleep, Sighing, I opened my eyes to be greeted with a patchy, green tent wall. I frowned. I didn't have a tent, and why was there an arm around my waist? Then the events of the previous day came flooding back. Being attacked, being rescued…Harry. I rolled over, turning in to face him.<p>

"Harry," I whispered. "Harry."

He groaned softly, pulling me closer and burying his face in my hair.

"Wake up," I told him, trailing my hand down his arm.

"Hmmm," he murmured, lifting his head and cracking his eyes open.

"Good morning," I said. He smiled in reply.

"Good morning." He bent his head to give me a soft kiss. I returned it for a moment before breaking away.

"How's your side?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Its not sore at the moment," I said. I sat up and winced. "On second thoughts." I pulled my shirt off again, flushing a little as I did so. Harry blushed too, his cheeks redder than mine. I knew he was remembering what happened last time I did that. I inspected the wound, Harry following my gaze. It definitely looked better and there were no signs of infection. A couple of spots looked like the skin was knitting together, and it had scabbed over sufficiently to prevent any future bleeding.

Harry pulled himself up and reached around me, digging out the paste again. "Put some more of this on," he said. I did as he told, rubbing it in as best I could without causing too much pain. It must have had something in it that acted as a mild anaesthetic, because the pain was dulled significantly.

I slipped my shirt back on, grimacing a little at the state of it. I'd not had fresh clothes in months either, and the ones I had were filthy and torn, and in the case of my shirt, stained with blood. Just another thing you had to get used to. I looked back at Harry, seeing him staring at me a slight bit of disappointment on his face. I smirked at him and he quickly looked away, his cheeks pink again. Men. Even in times like these they had a one-track mind.

I crawled out of the tent, stretching a little, Harry following behind. Picking up the sword I'd left outside the night before (stupid of me really, leaving weapons in the open wasn't the smartest idea!) I buckled it onto my belt.

"You know how to shoot?" Harry asked.

I gave him a look that said I though he was crazy. "'Course I know how to shoot."

He handed me a quiver of arrows and a recurve bow. "I found these next to a corpse the other day. Figured there was no sense leaving it behind."

I nodded. There was no sense of revulsion at using a dead person's weapons. They were just weapons, a means to an end, a way to stay alive. I slung the quiver over my back and strung the bow, pulling on it experimentally. I smiled in satisfaction. It had a good draw weight to it. Not so heavy I couldn't manage it, but enough to pack a punch so to speak. It'd have a good range.

Pulling an arrow from my quiver, I nocked it. Picking a trunk some 30 feet away, I drew, aimed and released in one smooth movement. The arrow thudded into the tree. It felt good. I'd gotten used to having a bow on me at all times, and if I was honest with myself, I liked it as a weapon more than I had my wand. The extra physical impact was so much more satisfying. Another sign of how times had changed when I found one way of killing more satisfying than another.

Harry was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged at him then walked over to collect the arrow. Placing it back in the quiver, I turned back to find Harry packing up the tent. Given that it was really just a sheet of material erected with ropes, it didn't take him long. It rolled up pretty small, enough for him to stuff it in the pack. When he was done, he handed me some more food. I noted with concern that he didn't seem to have much left, and now that he was sharing with me it would disappear twice as fast. But I didn't protest about it. I knew he'd do everything short of physically forcing me to make me eat it.

"Were you headed in any particular direction?" Harry asked.

"Not really," I told him. "I was thinking north. Less people of an unsavoury nature to run into."

"That was my plan," he replied. "Guess that's sorted then."

I got the feeling that he wasn't telling me everything. He had a different reason to go north. He knew something that I didn't. But I didn't press him. Later maybe, but in the mean time I was willing to let it slide. He'd tell me when he was ready, and if not, well, I was sure I could…persuade him to tell me.

We set off, moving quietly through the trees. I had taken it upon myself to learn how to move nearly silently, how to place your feet to avoid dry leaves and twigs. I'd practiced until it became instinctive. I knew it'd saved my life on more than one occasion. It seemed Harry had the same idea, although he wasn't quite as refined as me and being heavier he made more noise on principle.

Every now and then, I would glance upwards at what small bits of the sky I could see, checking to make sure we were still headed north. Neither of us had a compass but like everything else, you learned to adapt. I could navigate and tell the time by the sun, stars and moon.

We'd not been walking for long when Harry broke the silence.

"We need to talk. About us," he said.

I nodded. I loved him and he loved me. But that didn't automatically make us a couple, or in a relationship.

"What do you want us to be?" I asked.

He didn't answer for a moment, and then made up his mind. "I want to be us again. I want…I want to be able to call you mine, have the right to hold you and kiss you. But what do you want?"

I bit my lip. "I want that too but…"

"But?" he pressed softly.

"But I need to know that when the going gets tough, or things get dangerous, that you're not just going to leave me again for some stupid noble reason Harry. I-I couldn't take that a second time. I don't want you to push me away, my safety be damned. I can take care of myself. You know that."

He nodded. "I know Ginny, I do. And I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry for leaving you like I did. I didn't want to…I shouldn't have."

"But you did," I said softly.

"I did," he agreed. "And it killed me to do it, knowing how much it was hurting you."

"But how can I trust you not to do it again?"

He looked away, not answering. I felt tears prick my eyes and hurriedly blinked them away. Ginny Weasley never cried. I started walking faster, suddenly wishing to be as far away from him as possible. I wove between trunks, not caring if he was keeping up or not.

"Ginny! Ginny wait!" I heard him calling behind me. I walked faster, a few tears trickling down my cheeks, blurring my vision. Harry ran after me; I could hear him crashing through the undergrowth. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, forcing me up against a tree, pressing his body against mine. Somehow in the process, he'd managed to ensnare my other wrist as well, and he held the two in one hand above my head.

My chest heaved, as did his, from exertion, anticipation, who knew. His green eyes bore into mine, an unfathomable expression in them.

"I. Love. You." he said forcefully. "I couldn't leave you again...I need you Ginny. I don't ever want to be apart from you again. The things you do to me..." he trailed off and pushed his hips against mine to prove his point. I gasped as I felt a hard bulge low down on my stomach.

He kissed me hard, his tongue forcing my lips apart. His free hand roamed roughly over my body, trailing along my leg, hitching it up around his hip. I began to kiss him back and lifted my other leg up, wrapping them both around him tightly. He pressed even closer, my back hard against the tree. His hand moved upwards, cupping my breast and kneading it, eliciting a low moan from me.

Kissing my jaw and down my neck, he left a blazing trail behind, nipping none too gently as he went. I tilted my head back, my breath coming in short gasps. I struggled to free a hand to touch him in return but was unable to break the iron hard grip he had on my wrists.

"Harry," I groaned. He returned his lips to mine with even more fervour, nipping my lip and soothing it with a flick of his tongue. He moved his hand to my other breast, giving it equal attention. I moaned into his mouth and my hips jerked into his, pressing his erection against my centre. Harry groaned, rolling his hips. It sent an electric jolt up my spine and I returned the motion, searching for more of that delicious friction. I didn't have to look far as he thrust back with more force.

This time he kept the movement going and I felt the pressure increasing. His mouth dropped from mine to my collarbone as he panted.

"Ginny...god," he moaned, picking up his pace. I was just as desperate as he was, it just felt so good and I wanted more. I returned each thrust of his hips with my own and felt something stir low down. Harry buried his face in my shoulder, biting down on the sensitive tendon. I whimpered slightly from the pain, but it only added to the sensations.

Suddenly I felt something release and the most incredible feeling washed over me. I shuddered, crying out Harry's name. Moments later he did the same, gripping me to him tighter. As we both came down from our highs, he released my wrists and I dropped my legs back to the ground. We were both breathing hard and as my brain began to regain functionality, I blushed bright red. We'd just dry fucked each other against a tree, out in the open in broad daylight.

I looked away, not meeting his eyes.

"Ginny?" he questioned, a gentle hand-the same one that had been ravishing my body moments earlier-pulling my chin so I was forced to face him. "I...that was incredible...are you...?"

"Yeah, yeah it was," I replied softly, aware that my cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment. I didn't regret it, not one bit. Heaven knew sooner rather than later we'd be doing it again, likely without clothes separating us. Suddenly Harry snorted in amusement.

"That wasn't quite what I'd had in mind," he said and I offered a half smile in return.

"Me neither."

He ducked his head, slipping his hand into mine. He kissed me gently, keeping it on the surface.

"What I meant to tell you," he said when he pulled back, "Was that no way in hell could I ever make myself leave you again. I thought...I thought I'd lost you forever and it made me think. I promised myself that if I ever found you again, I wouldn't waste a single second. And Ginny," he locked his eyes with me, "I don't intend to. Time is precious, I realise that now. I-"

I cut him off. "I get it Harry, I do. I-thank you." I smiled. Really smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, kissing my hair. We stayed like that for a while. It could have been seconds, minutes, or hours before we finally pulled away from each other.

"We should probably get going," Harry said, sounding reluctant. I knew how he felt. I wanted the moment to last forever. Well...actually...I wanted something else more along the lines of what had happened against the tree, but now was not the time. We did need to keep moving.

We set off again, not talking but just enjoying each other's company. It struck me then, as we walked along, that for just a little while, life was perfect. The sun was shining, we were momentarily safe and I had Harry by my side and he loved me. It didn't get much better than that.

Hours later, the sun had reached the heights of the sky and begun its descent when Harry stopped and yanked me back, forcing me to the ground behind a tree, his body covering mine.

"Bloody hell Harry!" I exclaimed. "You could just ask you know, rather than-"

My words were muffled when he clamped a hand tightly over my mouth, his eyes warning me to stay silent. I glared at him and he removed his hand. Doing as he'd indicated and keeping my mouth shut, I raised an eyebrow. He pressed one finger to his lips before carefully rolling to the side, staying low. He crawled forward, beckoning for me to follow. Finally realising that something was amiss, my brain kicked into high gear, my senses sharpening.

I slithered nearly silently along the ground, my ears finally picking up what Harry must have heard before. Voices, smooth and cultured. The low hum of an engine. Harry paused in front of me, carefully parting some bushes. I crawled up next to him, peering through the foliage. When I saw the origins of the noise, I could have sworn my heart stopped. I sucked in a breath as I studied them. Twelve, heavily armed with machine guns, dressed in military camouflage, clearly from London. They had two cars, mounted with guns and covered with more camouflage and some heavy shielding. They were on a road, one of the few usable ones left, and, I realised, the main road leading north.

I jumped slightly when I heard Harry's voice in my ear. "Let's get out of here," he breathed. I nodded and made to shuffle backwards when something stopped me. I swivelled my head to the north and my eyes widened as I made out the shapes of horses tethered to the trees a little way in. There were about four of them, and I was surprised the soldiers hadn't seen them. Although, they were behind and the soldiers were making something of a racket.

Before I could say anything to Harry, there were some blood curdling cries and men jumped out of the trees, brandishing weapons. Swords, machetes, axes, even a few guns. The two sides began a fierce, bloody battle and gun fire filled my eardrums. Low down as we were, Harry and I were likely safe enough from the bullets, and none seemed to e coming our way, but as I glanced sideways at him, there was an unspoken agreement that we needed to get out of there fast.

We scrambled backwards, not worrying about noise, the fight was making more than enough to cover us. When we were far enough away to risk talking, Harry turned to me, a grin on his face.

"Can you ride?" he asked. He had seen the horses too. I nodded in reply. There was a reason my patronus was a horse. I loved the animals and as a child, had managed to convince my parents to let me have lessons at a nearby stable. We couldn't afford them, so I spent my days helping out in exchange for the rides. Even after I went to Hogwarts, I still went on the holidays.

I knew what Harry intended and I was all for it. Horses would speed our travel hugely and the small sacrifice of stealth was worth it. We skirted around the battle, staying some metres back into the forest. Sneaking up to the horses on the other side so the animals hid us, I quickly studied them. Speed was a necessity, but so was stamina. And a friendly but bold disposition wouldn't go astray either. I selected two geldings, one black and one bay that looked like they would suit our needs. I handed the reins of the bay to Harry and we swung aboard, pushing them forwards away from the fight as quickly as we could without being noticed.

We were lucky, everyone was too caught up in killing each other to see us and once we were far enough away, I signalled my horse into a canter, Harry following suit. I stuck to the road. We could go cross country later, but for now we would make the best time on the road. I turned my head to look at Harry. Obviously he knew what he was doing, sitting calmly in the saddle, his body rocking with the movement of the horse. He didn't have perfect equitation, but he wasn't half bad either.

"Where did you learn to ride?" I asked.

"On the run," he replied. "We needed a quick getaway and, well, the opportunity presented itself. It was a bit hairy to begin with, but Hermione and I got the hang of it pretty quick. Poor Ron though, he never really took to it." I nodded. The thought of Ron riding was somewhat absurd.

"I didn't realise we were so close to the road," I said.

"Neither did I," Harry replied. "But as it turns out, it was a good thing we were."

We rode for a few more hours, until the light began to fade. Harry led us off the road, ducking in the saddle to avoid some low branches. He took a twisted, winding path on the off chance that someone would be able to track us, in the hopes of confusing them. When we were well away from the road, we straightened out, heading on a mostly parallel course. Not long afterward, we stopped in a small clearing. There was some grass for the horses to pick at. I worried briefly that they were going to run off during the night, but decided that they seemed to be reasonable animals who enjoyed human company.

I dismounted, hitting the ground and letting out a slight groan. I wasn't used to spending hours in the saddle anymore. Annoyingly, Harry seemed to be perfectly fine. I sent a glare in his direction which he returned with a smirk and turned my attention to the full saddlebags. I was pleasantly surprised by the first two. They were stuffed to the brim with food; dry fruit, bread, nuts and many other things. Meals wouldn't be an issue for a while, and when I looked over to Harry who was doing the same, I saw that he had found food as well.

The third bag was another lucky find. There were two handguns and some ammunition. the final bag was empty, but I grabbed the guns and walked over to Harry, whose final bags had contained a few maps, a compass and other little things like a torch, batteries and matches. I handed one gun and half the ammunition to him. His face twisted into a grim smile and he tucked the weapon into his belt.

Later that night, after dinner and setting up camp, we lay side by side in the tent.

"We should check your side," Harry said. I'd forgotten all about my wound, what with everything else that had happened. My shirt discarded, Harry shone the torch on the healing the paste had done its job and it hadn't reopened with the exertion of riding. I stretched my arms forward, groaning as it pulled the muscles in my back and shoulders.

"Sore?" Harry asked. I sighed and nodded. "Lie down on your front," he whispered. I complied and soon felt his warm hands on my skin, gently massaging it. I moaned in relief as he worked at the knotted muscles in my neck and back, despite the pain when he pressed a little too hard. He made his way down to my lower back, sending goosebumps racing up my arms.

"Cold?" he whispered. I shook my head. The heat coursing through my body would have driven away the bitter chill of the coldest winter night. He resumed rubbing, heading upwards again until his fingers hit my bra strap. Gently, he undid the clasp, letting it fall to either side of my body. His hands stroked the sides of my breasts with a feather light touch and I sucked in a breath.

"Harry," I breathed, lifting my head.

"Shhh," he replied. I rested my forehead back on the ground and shut my eyes. Harry continued massaging, his movements slowly but surely turning more sensual. I could feel the heat pooling between my legs and was considering begging him to stop teasing me when he rolled me over onto my back.

I squeaked in surprise and my arms flew across my chest, my bra having been left on the ground. Harry looked at me in some amusement and gently pried my hands away, holding them above my head. I squirmed under his scrutiny as he stared at my chest, then he lowered his face to kiss me and all thoughts of being embarrassed flew from my mind. I moaned into his mouth and he released my hands. Immediately they were at the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head. My hands roamed across his back and I could feel the hard muscles he had built up.

Harry propped himself up one elbow, his mouth never leaving mine as he created a small space between our chests which had previously been pressed together; a space he quickly filled with his hand. My back arched towards him a little as he caressed one bare breast lightly, his thumb running over the nipple every now and then. After some time, during which I was incapable of doing anything but kissing him, he switched his attention to the other.

I broke away from him, gasping for breath. I'd never imagined something could feel this wonderful but it did, and I knew this was just the start. Harry was placing hot, open mouthed kisses on my neck, sucking here and nipping there. I knew it'd leave marks but I didn't care. Who was going to see them anyway? My stomach tensed when his hand left my breast and trailed over it, then lingered on the fastening of my pants. He stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes, asking permission. The moonlight was filtering into the tent sufficiently for me to see the slight worry in his eyes and I quickly nodded my assent.

Harry smiled softly and within moments I was completely naked underneath him. I was nervous, my body tensing at the thought of what was coming and he must have sensed this, because he slowed down, returning to just kissing me, one hand in my hair, the other snaking underneath me to press against my back, holding me to him. Slowly I relaxed back into him. He reached down again, his fingers brushing the inside of my thigh, inching higher until he reached his goal.

I moaned as he touched me for the first time. It felt different, but a bloody good different. He began stroking in different ways, trying to find out what worked and what didn't. It wasn't long before he had it figured out and I was writhing and moaning his name. I felt it building up inside me and I urged Harry on, who seemed completely enraptured but what he was doing to me. I cried out for a final time as I reached my release and Harry removed his hand, watching me as I tried to regain my breath and return to earth.

Harry was lying next to me now and as I came fully back to myself and glanced over at him, I could see just how much he was affected. Taking a deep breath, I knelt next to him, my fingers making quick work of his belt and pants. As I went to remove his boxers, his hand shot out and gripped my wrist. Startled, I looked up.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'm sure. I want this Harry. Please."

He released my wrist. I knew he wouldn't deny me. Not when it was so obvious that he wanted me too. I pulled his boxers down, Harry lifting his hips to aid me. I hesitated a brief moment before wrapping my hand around him. His hips jerked a little and he groaned. Pleased that I had caused that reaction I moved my hand up and down gently and was rewarded with more of the same. Soon though, he place a hand over mine.

"Stop," he said hoarsely. I looked at him in surprise but let go. He pushed me over onto my back again and hovered over me, nudging my legs apart and settling between them, our most intimate parts coming into contact. "I want..." he said, trailing off but still managing to impart his meaning.

"Do it," I whispered. "Please, I need..."

Gently he slipped inside and soon met resistance. He paused and looked back at me for final confirmation and I nodded. He withdrew a little and thrust back in. I bit my lip, my eyes watering a little. I'd expected the pain, but it still hurt. Harry waited for me, kissing me gently. Eventually when the pain receded a little, I gave him the go ahead. He began to move and soon the pain was gone entirely, replaced by pleasure. The tent filled with gasps and moans, names were uttered and a few choice swear words thrown in.

Finally I felt the upwards climb nearing its peak again and I could tell Harry was there with me. I shuddered as I went over the edge and Harry followed mere seconds later, calling out my name. We lay there together for some time, not moving. Eventually he slid out of me and rolled to the side, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed my neck and I sighed in contentment. I felt sleep taking me and I hastily grabbed the blankets, spreading them over the two of us. That taken care of, I let myself sink into my dreams, snuggling further into the man beside me, drifting off with a smile on my face.


End file.
